Multiplayer video games have exploded in popularity due, in part, to services such as Microsoft's Xbox LIVE® and Sony's PlayStation Network® which enable gamers all over the world to play with or against one another. Generally, a multiplayer video game is a video game in which two or more players play in a gameplay session in a cooperative or adversarial relationship. At least one of the players may comprise a human player, while one or more other players may comprise either non-player characters and/or other human players.
A non-player character (“NPC”), which may also be referred to as a non-person character, a non-playable character, a bot, or other similar descriptor, is a character in a game that is not controlled by a human player. In multiplayer video games, an NPC is typically a character controlled by a computer through artificial intelligence.
Often times, when a player logs in to a game system or platform to play a multiplayer video game, the player may engage in a gameplay session in which he or she is matched with other players to play together (on the same team or as opponents). A given player may engage in multiple gameplay sessions during a login session. In addition, each gameplay session may be played with either the same or a different group of matched players.
In some instances, NPCs are used to fill gap(s) in a gameplay session. As an example, in a game that requires ten players to play together on a team, four NPCs may be selected to fill out the team if only six human players have joined. This situation often occurs in matches (games or contests) with novice or lower-skilled players. Unfortunately, NPCs are often easily identified as “generic” or non-human, computer-controlled players. Various indicators including unusual screen names (or gamer tags), incomplete or uncharacteristic player profiles (e.g., having statistics or other attributes that are missing or that do not resemble those of typical players), and idiosyncratic play (during actual gameplay) are each examples of indicators that may alert human players to the presence of one or more NPCs in a given gameplay session.
The use of NPCs in a gameplay session may result in a poor or unsatisfying player experience. Novice or lower-skilled players, for instance, may feel frustrated or discouraged if they continually play in matches filled with NPCs, or believe that they aren't enjoying a true multiplayer game experience. This may result in a decreased desire to continue playing the video game. These and other drawbacks exist with the current use of NPCs in multiplayer video games.